Shadow of a Ghost
by Punishers Apprentice
Summary: Owlman's son is trying to lead a normal life.


Shadow of a Ghost

I find myself facing Owlman and his new Crime Syndicate. The rain is pouring, but I don't feel it. The Justice League is defeated, last to fight are broken behind me. I'm screwed, my father is going to kill me. I'm not sorry about the narration, I won't have my life sugar coated.

My life, that's what this is about. My name is Bruce Wayne and Owlman is my father and he's evil, not dad evil, an actual supervillain. Mom died in the hospital when I was an infant. My father started my training when I was just under 4 years old.

I'm fluent in 100 dialects, even alien ones. Owlman taught me to fight, to kill. Tried to make me hate law enforcement, convince me my mom was killed in crossfire of a shootout.

We hate each other, got that in common. He hated his parents Martha and Thomas Senior, hated his brother Bruce for loving them. The 3 were killed by their butler Alfred. He named me Thomas Bruce to spite them by not carrying on his father's namesake.

I became the revolutionary hacker called the Protector, the Savior. I gave my world hope through Project Quantum, someday we'd escape to a better world. I believed in alternate realities and better worlds. I admit I didn't believe in escape. In a nutshell it's a corn maze when you turn right, another version of you turned left. My handle was Finale, I never had a endgame.

I thought not killing Owlman saved people from the Syndicate's response. I could've killed the Syndicators, I was afraid the people falling into anarchy or another Syndicate taking over. Facing Owlman with a free world at stake I wish I'd had the courage to kill then, I would've died with my Earth but this one would be safe from my father.

I thought my restraint was saving lives but it didn't matter in the end. My Earth was destroyed. What remains is desolate, some pieces remain but no people.

The Crime Syndicate brought their spawn with them to escape the destruction and conquer a new Earth. Batman and his rag-tag company of heroes and villains defeated Syndicate. On the League's Earth my grandparents only had one son and that's Bruce Wayne. Thomas and Martha were killed by wrong place, wrong time not betrayal.

My world was destroyed, the Crime Syndicate brought their kids with them. After Batman and company defeated Syndicate, Owlman took me on the run. I slipped intel through my namesake on the League's world, Thomas Junior never existed here. Owlman forbade me from contacting law enforcement under threat of torture, being Batman's parallel the threat was valid. He tortured me, in his way he made me stronger. Everything had a reason even genocide. The real reason for most is he's crazy. He masterminded the Wayne murders. I passed info through this world's Bruce Wayne.

I was the star witness for his trial. Billionaire reformed villain Thomas Elliot adopted me into Gotham City. I helped the nut thinking he's Thomas Junior by talking about Owlman, making him not want to be that guy. I attend public school where I have 2 friends and my room looks like it belongs in a military school or something, not like it's a kid's room in a mansion, it's got nothing in it. I use retro-tech, as a hacker I know they don't bother with the basic stuff.

As a favor to the League, I united the Syndicate's kids into our own Syndicate. Johnny Quick's son Corey became Speed Force, Superwoman's son Less became Superiority, Power Ring's son Jason became Lantern Lord, Ultraman's daughter Kayla became Goddess. They chose me to protect against traitors but in the end I was the spy.

3 things lead to 30, here we are. The last heroes broken behind me. If I wasn't alone I'd feel homesick. Finale wasn't a loner, I was the longest surviving rebel leader. Whoever they are say your life flashes before your eyes when you die or are about to die. Paradox of truth, it's true but I'd be blinded by it if it was completely true.

Now I'm stalling the story. I stand before Ultraman, Owlman, Lantern Lord, Speed Force, and Superiority. Ready to fight smart, I have to.

I rush forward, knock out two heavy hitters Lantern Lord and Speed Force. Lantern Lord manipulates Oan tech which he attracts. Speed Force makes, controls and depowers speedsters. I make Superiority fly me up to an unsafe height then suicide jumped to jar his humanity loose so he'll save me. I can kill Owlman but won't so I know it's his fight but it won't be short.

Soon as we land Ultraman goes for Superiority and I charge Owlman. My plan is keep it hand to hand. I seize one hand, most think if you get the first shot take it. If you get the first shot, stop their shot to put it on your terms. He's stronger and I can't keep the hand but I didn't grab it for that advantage, it kept his mind off his vast weapons.

Sure enough he took the first shot, I didn't take his hand with both hands. As soon as the punch landed I moved for the advantage. I grabbed his shoulders, put my feet on his chest then flipped back like a swimmer launching for a back stroke. I quickly recovered and went for his cape, it's not useless with my training. Superiority and Ultraman have a battle of endurance going on. My feet to his face had him slightly disoriented.

Once recovered Owlman charged me. I waited, timing my action then jumped looking like a bull jumper but looks are deceiving. Mid-jump as I slid on his shoulder I pulled his sleeve with my feet. I could've flipped back again but didn't. Invisibly his cape hooks a certain way, it comes off without his mask. I took advantage of it to tighten his costume. I rolled his cape in my hand as I landed, rolling I tucked it in under my jacket to free my hands. Luckily only Lantern Lord had armor on, it's gone now.

With nothing to recover from, Owlman slid to a stop and turned. He's angry and I ran straight the way he charged me to jump off the roof. Ultraman had won his match and was surrendering to the few recovered Leaguers, Ultraman knocked Owlman out for trying to attack them. He realized he was supposed to be giving himself up, dropped to the rooftop, knees first. He kept his hands up and apologized, almost begging to let his attacking Owlman go.

Leaguers were crazy confused. The original Syndicate was hard to beat. Now after beating the League, they're knocked out with their heaviest hitter Ultraman surrendering. Must have been a 20 on a 1-5 crazy scale.

I wonder why after many crisis, there isn't a set reconstruction protocol. They should have every able bodied person working on rebuilding. Those in the prison and medical fields doing their jobs, inmates and disabled persons staying where they belong. Have a system for assigning work, a city barely hit sends people to a city falling apart. The more able-bodied the lower the chance of a desk job. Minors work in shelters, take care of babies, fetch supplies, help make food and carry messages. People stay near rebuilding zones, punish evasion after the felony is done. Most people and teens work rebuilding. Unfit people work shelter, kitchen and desk duties.

The League knew I was there, there were broken heroes not corpses behind me. They gave me time with Thomas before we had to talk, slowly the world pulled itself back together after heroes started being seen more than when Syndicate was winning. After things began to settle down as much as it can with aliens and superheroes being a thing. Syndicate's League doubles and I talked. They saw the whole thing on spy satellites so there wasn't much to discuss on the matter of how I won.

I explained "Ultraman could be used as a power source. Use UV to weaken him, put an IV in, give him his power source, turn him into a big battery. We put him in a VR like machine with him unconcious. Three way win. He gets his paradise, world gets a power source, and Superman's weakness is drained. He'd do it if we show him how different this world is. Ultraman helped me. He can't be all bad, didn't start bad."

Flash asked "Is it really worth the risk?"

Superman said "I don't know, Ultraman is locked up for a reason."

Someone charged me, tackled me into a fire escape. We were on a rooftop but no one heard us, I don't know why I keep getting places like that. I don't believe in it but luck is all I got for an answer. I got up, climbed back onto the roof and Kelly Raize followed me.

I turned to her "Quantum." She looked at me confused, I'd be confused too come to think about it.

I said "Syndicate falls. Think reverse Syndicate, Justice League." I gestured to the League, to them I was speaking code.

Kelly said "Got it."

I said "Great. Call off your sniper?" She was too late. I acted on instinct, tackling a Leaguer in front of the bulletproof Superman. Dwight Mars the sniper, Kelly, the Leaguers and I went to STAR Labs which acts as a League hospital.

Despite being a helpful boy scout Superman can be intimidating when he wants to. He'd never hurt a fly not trying to rob a bank (he's a hero) but still. I wasn't intimidated, the crazy savant dad makes everything else seem safe.

Superman said "Explanation, talk, now."

I said "Complete sentence, please, now." Just 'cause someone's intimidating, doesn't mean I can't be a smart Alex.

Superman said "Start explaining now."

I asked "Why do you naturally look at me like that?"

Flash said "They seem to be from your Earth."

I asked "How long have I been here?"

Flash admitted "About a year."

I said "This is my Earth."

Wonder Woman said "You do seem to know them and they're new."

Green Lantern asked "What's Quantum?"

I asked "What Quantum? Quantum mechanics, tunneling?"

Batman said "Stop being a smart a*."

I said "Project Quantum. It's a theory, multiversal travel, how I got here. Take your pick."

Superman said "Complete sentences. Please."

I said "It's the theory that travel between dimensions is possible. It was supposed to help people escape the Syndicate not the Syndicate escape destruction. It gave hope."

Flash asked "Who made it?"

I said "Me, well my hacker persona." They stared.

Flash said "You're kidding, right?"

Kelly said "He's not kidding."

Dwight asked "Why do you think we were trying to protect him?"

Kelly asked "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

I said "If I didn't I would've let Dwight take 'em out."

Dwight said "Right."

I asked "Kelly, what is it?" She and Dwight were rebel allies, friends.

Kelly said "Nothing."

I said "Your parents were rebels who gave their lives."

Dwight asked "What are our parents here?"

I said "It doesn't matter, you can't see them. That's the downside of different dimensions."

Dwight said "Figures."

I told the League "Maybe you can take them somewhere to learn this world's history."

I turned to my friends "It's up to you guys, might be useful." The League took them to the Kent family farm where Superman grew up. My loyal friends were eventually adopted.

After helping Peter Elliot get his dad's attention we met in Thomas's office, Peter in his formal uniform with a PR rep who was pitching ideas for the announcement. As the CEO's ward/stepson I never had to explain what I was doing there.

The PR rep said "We could call him your long lost war hero son." He was pushing the soldier thing.

I said "Offer to take care of his family, they could stay at the mansion when he's deployed, if something happens to him make sure his family gets something. His family's your family."

Thomas asked the PR rep "What do you think?"

PR thought, said "Good idea."

I said "Pete's your heir now, let the world know."

Thomas said "Let's head down. You can stay here if you want."

I said "Thanks." Peter's family went with him and Thomas. The quartet did their announcement and nothing major for me happened that day, I helped Thomas set things right with his long lost son but that wasn't a big deal to me.

Peter had a son, Brandon who started school with me. Thomas wanted me to go to prep school, I wanted public and after joining the family Peter pushed for military school. I'm friends with my mirror parallel, Damian Wayne. I know my namesake's parallel Bruce is Batman making Damian, his son, Robin.

It took me a while to realize that I cannot avoid being a hero in this world. For months after battling my father I acted as a hero unaware that I was one. I stopped a hacker using my handle for terrorism using Bruce's laptop and flashed Batman's insignia with the data drop I gave authorities to help catch the terrorist. I took up a new handle with that action. When another skilled hacker took up my new handle I had to run because Batman and his allies thought I was fanning extremist fires. I used my own safe houses I had set up to deal with dimension jumpers to run.

Instead of giving more terrorists and extremists the means to do great harm I came back as an image, I lead people who believed in my cause and helped Justice League members by doing so.

The first thing I did was override all smart weapons and make my insignia appear on every visible screen in the areas around the riot zones. My insignia was a dancing flame on a black background, when I talked about action the flame was green and when I talked about hope it was blue. I maneuvered heavy artillery away from their target areas and jammed all guns. The rioters were following the fake me, preaching revolution and release. I opened my response establishing that I believe in their cause then I called them out on their stupidity while threatening everyone if they continued their course of action. The rioters surrendered. I scolded the governments for irresponsibility and threatened them if they gave unfair punishment. Something that would become a trademark of mine is the line "Follow the light of hope." This was the start of something amazing and great. I became a rebel leader on my new Earth whenever there was widespread oppression or I decided to backup the Justice League. Only in dire situations did I act. I regularly gave speeches to my followers and fans to protect my new hacker identity and keep them in line. Felicity Smoak joined one of my fan sites. I helped her join as her codename Overwatch. I'll log on to open the floor for discussion. I kept my identity concealed by electronic voice modulation, my signal untraceable, my message incorruptible. I was a true symbol of hope, the corruption of my past two personas opened the door to theories that the light of hope was a shared handle. No one knew the hacker symbol of hope was a kid.

With Thomas's support, I became a heroic Talon. My costume is like Batman's more than Robin's. It has a cowl, a red cape, a yellow owl logo on the mostly black suit. My gloves are light but durable to protect me from both weapons used against me and the three talon chutes. My talons are sharp retractable blades that extend from my gloves. The chutes use gravity to extend and retract the blades, magnets stop them from falling out and the chutes seal to prevent accidental deployment. I don't operate as Talon much but just like my online hacker heroics I do it to help the Justice League. The last survivor from my Earth was the original Talon, Dick Grayson who works for Bruce Wayne under the alias Charles Dean.


End file.
